Let It go
by linkmoon7
Summary: She finally learned to fly in this little island town. She was learning to let go of all of the hurt. Could she help him do the same?
1. Distance

Her breathing was short and shallow, puffing out in small gasps in the crisp night air. She put her hands on her knees, bending over to try and calm her racing heart. She can't believe she did it. Finally. _FINALLY._

A small strangled laugh found its way out of her throat, a few tears squeezing out of her eyes. Her shaking started to calm slightly, until she heard it.

The screaming of sirens off in the distance caused her wheezing to become worse, until it felt like someone had a vice on her chest, slowly squeezing her lungs until no space was left.

She wiped a shaking hand through her hair, and continued to run. It was only a few blocks to the dock. Then she would be gone. Finally putting the distance she so desperately needed between her and that horrible place. But as she stood in front of the ticket booth a few moments later, jittery and nervous, she had another brief flash of panic. Could she really do this?

What would she do without the structure, without the molding, without...her? She forced the thoughts from her head as she bought the first ticket she could find to anywhere. She took a deep breath to settle herself, and squared her shoulders as she stepped up to the man with the roster, asking for her name. She closed her eyes and answered.

"Chelsea" she murmured "it's Chelsea."

* * *

The boat docked in the middle of the night. Chelsea sighed, rubbing her forehead into the palm of her hand. The voyage had been long and tiring. Thoughts of doubt had rang in her head the entire way. But she knew she needed this.

Extremely exhausted, dirty, and feeling very lost, Chelsea stepped out onto the dock. Stumbling onto the sandy beach, she sighed, as she wondered what she should do next.

As the empty beach surrounded her, she could feel the tears begin forming in her eyes. Her throat chocked up and she was sure she was about to let the tears she had been forcing back all night fall.

She plopped down in the sand, burying her face in her hands. She felt so lost. Where the hell was she anyways? A sob tore out of her chest as everything finally hit her. She cried large, hot tears, the sound coming from her mouth primal and raw.

She didn't know how long she sat on that beach for. Minutes? Hours? Until exhaustion finally overtook her and she curled up in a ball, letting the darkness overtake her.

* * *

Suddenly there was light, and warmth. Chelsea stiffened, afraid to open her eyes. She felt around her slowly, the edge of something soft hitting her fingers. A blanket? Slowly, she opened her eyes.

She was in a small shack, obviously turned into someones home. She glanced down, seeing the soft purple down blanket that was covering her. Cautiously, she sat up.

"Oh good, your awake. You scared the shirmp outta me, the way you were just lyin' in the middle of the beach!"

Chelsea froze instantly, her head swiveling to the voice she heard. She focused on a very tanned man, with curly brown hair and a purple bandanna. He was sitting under a small kotatsu, winding a fishing pole.

She swallowed hard "How..Who..?" She didn't even have to finish before the boy started to talk.

"Names Denny" He said, pointing a thumb at himself with a wide grin "Was on my way in from a late night fishin' trip when I saw a dark blob on the sand. Turns out it was you, scaring me half to death. You wouldn't wake up so I took you here and called Julia."

"Julia..?" She questioned

"Yeah" Denny smiled. Damn, does this guy _ever_ stop smiling? "She runs a small animal shop with her mother Mirabelle. Blonde hair, real confident. Anyways, I didn't know what to do after I got you here, so I gave her a call and shes on her way. Should be here in a few minutes."

Chelsea sat still, processing all of this information. Passed . Fish. Julia. Got it.

"So..I was passed out?" She questioned softly, embarrassed at her venerability

"Well, yeah. But you arn't now so no need to worry about it." Denny beamed at her. No need to worry...right. Just then a knock sounded at the door.

"Oh, there she is!"

After a long conversation, Chelsea learned that she was on small island that was discovered by accident. With a small population, it wasn't very well known yet and had few people living there. It was then decided that she would take over the overgrown farm area in an attempt to bring in more people. Chelsea had agreed, it was work with a built in home so she was in no position to complain.

Julia said she would talk it over with some person named Taro in the morning. But for now, it was a bed for her to sleep in.

It also seemed that Chelsea could become friends with this Julia person. Just as Denny said, she seemed to be extremely confident. She wore a low cut tank top and the shortest shorts Chelsea had ever seen. Her blonde hair was long and flowing, tied up in a high ponytail. The blonde quickly took over the conversation, seeming to sense Chelsea's need of guidance at the moment.

As everything came to a close, she thanked Denny for his help and started towards the farmhouse with Julia. The night air was chilly, and the breeze ruffled through Chelsea's chestnut hair. She shivered, pulling her vest tighter to herself. Julia glanced her way and giggled slightly.

"Yeah" she said, sliding her hands into her pockets "it starts to get kinda chilly in the early spring. But it warms up around the middle of the week"

Chelsea smiled slightly, reaching up to smooth down her bandanna.

"So.." Julia hesitated "I know you said that you were looking for a place to stay but..well, never mind. Its not my business. But seeing as though you might be staying awhile, I really hope we can become good friends."

Juila smiled, Chelsea returning a weak one of her own.

As they reached the farmhouse, Julia promised a tour of the island in the morning and a meet and great with the residents, saying she should get in and get some sleep. Nodding, Chelsea shuffled into the farmhouse, softly clicking the door shut behind her.

As soon as she could no longer hear Julia's retreating footsteps, Chelsea slid down the door, pulling her knees up to her chest.

A small tear trickled out of the corner of her eye, but she wiped it away. No use in crying now.

Standing up, she surveyed her new 'home'. There was a small kitchenette near the door, along with a couch, a small bookshelf, and a bed pushed up into the far left-hand corner of the room, alongside a window. She walked over to the bed, shaking out the fine layer of dust that had covered the comforter. She would defiantly have to do major house cleaning in the morning, but first she knew she needed sleep. As she laid down in bed, she realized how _quiet _everything was. She could even hear the wind blowing outside her window. So different from the city.

Chelsea already felt a little bit safer, even in such a different place. As sleep finally started to overtake her body, one thought kept popping up in her mind. It was funny what a little bit of distance could do.


	2. Not Everyone

"Good.." *huff* "God" *huff*  
Chelsea slammed the hoe into the dirt one last time and let it rest there, wiping the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. She surveyed her field, taking in the long rows of plants, vegetables, and flowers, their leaves swaying in the breeze. Glancing just past the field, she saw her cow Zaki lumbering out the open door of the barn to munch on some fresh grass.  
"CHELSSS!"  
The trilling voice caused Chelsea to jump a bit. Looking towards the entrance to her farm, she saw the familiar blonde ponytail headed  
her way.  
"Hey" Chelsea called out, cupping one hand around her mouth "whats the occasion? It barley 7 and your already up and walking? Amazing"

Julia scowled, though she couldn't quite keep the small smile from her face.

"How do you not remember?" she pouted "Its exactly 1 year today that you came to this island. It also happens to be your birthday,  
you big dummy" She stuck her tongue out at Chelsea as she swatted her shoulder

Chelsea laughed "H-hey hey okay okay I get it stop hitting me!"

Julia grinned, flipping her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder. She was dressed up in her usual low cut blue tank top and extremely short  
jean shorts. She was lucky she had the body for that.

"So, what amazing evening do you have planned for us?"

Chelsea smirked as Julia jumped up, animatedly talking about everything she wanted them to do that night. The brunette listened to all  
of Julia's chatter and finally got her to leave with the excuse of farm work and the promise that, yes, she would come to her house  
later.

As Julia left, Chelsea began to look back on the past year. She remembered the night she pretty much washed up on the beach like it  
was yesterday. She didn't think she had ever hit a lower time in her life than that night. But meeting these people had been a  
blessing in disguise.  
Still, there was nothing more awkward than meeting all the villagers for the first time. Not to mention difficult to come up with an excuse as to 'what brought her to these parts' on the spot. She had come up with a flimsy excuse of wanting nothing more than to run her own farm, and hearing this island had been found and was in need of people seemed like a great opportunity. Though she had never farmed a day in her life and barley looked the part, her story was bought with no questions, even from Denny and Julia, who helped her on that first night and knew it had to be a lie. They respected her privacy and seemed to know she had her reasons for lying.  
She had also been taken in as an apprentice almost immediately by Taro. Taro was almost the grandfather of the entire island, him and his family being the first to make it to the small island. He had been a farmer back in his prime and was almost ecstatic to teach Chelsea, claiming she had the 'zest' needed for the work. Chelsea had just smiled and taken his compliment, though she knew it not to be true, instantly having a soft spot for the older man. His grandchildren, Elliot, a small shy pink haired boy, and Natalie, a strong willed girl with rose colored hair, also took to Chelsea, becoming fast friends.

Chelsea was also proud to admit that the island had even started to grow from her few short months of farming. The first few days were rough and long, with her back aching and her fingers blistered and bleeding. But she soon got the hang of farming, and came to enjoy it. There was something extremely rewarding about seeing all of your hard work pay off.

She grinned as she continued to work, pulling out fresh seeds she had bought at the general store the other day. As she worked, she thought of all she had accomplished over the past year. The island was now pretty bustling, with everybody from a small shop owner to a pop star moving in. New people were taking root here all the time, helping the island to grow and flourish.

Chelsea smiled, wiping some sweat off her brow as she watered the last of her plants. Grabbing a quick shower and a change of clothes, she decided to head down to the beach to dip her toes in the water and do a little fishing before she headed over to Julia's.

On her way into town, she said hello to Elliot and stopped for a minute to chat with Natalie as she passed there small home. Their mother Felecia , a soft spoken sweet women with the same light pink hair, poked her head out the door to give Chelsea a warm smile and a quick hello as she continued onto the beach.

* * *

Chelsea put her hand to her mouth and giggled as the small fish nibbled at her toes, her legs swung over the side of the small wooden dock. She swirled her feet around as she recast out her fishing line. She leaned back slightly, closing her eyes and sighing as she tipped her face up towards the sun. It was one of those unusually warm spring days, used for cat naps on the porch swing and long walks through the woods.

A tug on her fishing line caused her to sit back up, ready to pull in another catch. But as she opened her eyes, she saw the source of the tug. A large tanned had, resting on the top of her fishing pole. Denny just laughed and plopped down next to Chelsea as she gave him a funny look.

"I could have had a catch you know, and you shaking my pole probably scared it off" She gave him a pointed look as he just flashed her his trademark grin that she had gotten to know so well over the past few months.

"Sure, sure" Denny chuckled as he pulled off his shoes to dip his own toes in the water "Your lecturing me? Who was it exactly that taught you how to fish? As I recall, the first time you tired you only caught yourself up in your own line" Chelsea flushed, recalling the day Denny insisted on teaching her how to use the old rod Taro had given her.

"Go shove it Denny" she mumbled, looking down with a small smile.

"Such language!" He gasped, putting his hand to his heart as if wounded "what happened to that shy girl that would barley look any one in the eye when she first got here? You have so much bite now. Wow. Guess my jabbering rubbed off on you more than I thought" Chelsea snorted as Denny waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Aw, you know shes gone now Denny. You know I have you to thank for that, I mean you are the best"

"The best!" Denny shouted playfully, throwing one finger up in the air as if announcing a point

"Your a Dork"

"Yes, but it always makes you smile" Denny glanced at her, his grin turning into a small smile "No matter why, I'm glad you stumbled onto this small island. Happy Birthday"

"Thanks Denny" Chelsea reeled in her fishing pole and cast it out again, glancing out at the small ship making its way towards the dock " I'm glad someone's happy I'm here"

"Daw, not this again! Everyone's glad your here! We all love you and your free spirit." Denny's eyes soften a bit, becoming slightly farther away "It took awhile for her to show up, but it was amazing when she did" Another blush dusted over Chelsea's face at Denny compliment as the ship came closer to the dock.

"Well.." she started, watching as the ship docked, two deckhands coming out to pull a ramp onto the dock "Not everyone.."

"Hey" Denny said as a dark figure appeared at the top of the ramp, slowly starting down the ramp towards them "Don't you worry  
about.."

"Vaughn" She said, glancing up as the dark figure passed behind her. He paused as he heard his name "Happy Wednesday. Its nice to see you back again" She smiled, her eyes closing as Vaughn's eyes slid sideways to look at her for a moment, before he continued down the beach, on his way into town.


	3. Fly

The wave splashed up against the side of the boat, spraying a shower of salty water. Vaughn leaned back from the railing slightly, waiting for the roughness to pass before he leaned his forearms back onto the rusty metal pole. The cool air felt great against his skin, but the transport always made him feel a bit queasy. Most days he was up early and on the docks, waiting to board to where ever his job required him to go that day. Vaughn blew out a breath as he thought of his small barren apartment back among the city lights, that he only saw late Friday nights and would sleep in until early Sunday mornings. He thought of his only companion, an old beat up coffee mate sitting on his counter top, and decided the transport wasn't so bad.

A loud voice announcing the upcoming stop caused Vaughn's thoughts to wander to his most recent assignment as a small island appeared in the distance.

_"Sunny...Island?"_

_"Yes, Vaughn. Now don't make that face at me, I didn't name the island. Anyways, this island used to be one of our main customers __until it fell off the map, and just kind of faded away"_

_"I can see why with a name like Sunny Islan-"_

_"Hush now Vaughn, no more talk about the damn name. This island is becoming repopulated thanks to an old friend of mine, Taro. He __told me a new farmer has moved in and could use livestock in the near future. So your Wednesdays and Thursdays will be spent there. __I've been told you have and aunt and cousin in current residence, and they have already agreed to let you stay. So, you leave __first thing in the morning"_

_"Yes,Boss"_

Vaughn leaned into the railing a bit more, watching the distance shape grow larger and larger. It had been almost a year since the day he was told he would be working here. So far it had been quiet, good work. Everything had been fine. Everything except one thing.

As they drew closer, Vaughn could make out two figures sitting on the edge of the dock, one of them wearing a red bandanna. Vaughn's stomach tightened, causing him to scowl. It had been doing that lately whenever he saw the energetic brunette. He usually never had any reaction to anybody. He remembered the day he had first met the small farmer.

_"C-Chelsea" the small brunette in front of him mumbled, never once lifting her head to look at him._

_Vaughn felt his lips pull down in annoyance. He was going to have to work with this meek girl? He couldn't help the frustrated huff __from making its way out of his mouth. He watched as her eyes widened at the noise, her shoulders hunching more, it that was __even possible. Good GOD, was she almost SHAKING? She reminded Vaughn of a kicked puppy. Vaughn felt his frown waiver slightly. Damn __his love for animals._

_"Vaughn" He grunted, deciding to be at least slightly polite. _

_He could feel his aunt Mirabelle's eyes on him, his cousin Julia's __almost burning a hole in the side of his skull, like it was his fault the farmer wouldn't look up from the floor. It's not like __he ever asked for a meeting with the damn girl, he was practically forced into it as an attempt to make him more "social" as Julia __put it._

_As the farmer squirmed and twiddled her fingers, Vaughn realized he had pretty much been glaring down at her. Clearing his throat, __Vaughn picked up his bag, ready to have the impromptu meeting over with and just get some damn SLEEP._

_"Ya' ever need any animals, you know where to find me" With that he had stalked into the back hall, ignoring as Julia yelled his__name, apologizing to that girl for him being rude._

Vaughn shook his head, bringing himself back to the present as the boat docked up against the island. As the deck hands scrambled to get down the ramp, Vaughn picked up his small bag and began to walk down the dock.

Ignoring the ever growing tightness in his gut as he got closer to the brunette, Vaughn kept his eyes locked straight forward.

"Vaughn"

At the sound of his name Vaughn stopped, holding himself back from physically flinching. He slid his eyes sideways at the farmer, refusing to look straight at her.

"Happy Wednesday. Its nice to see you back again"

Vaughn watched as a smile lit up her face slightly, her eyes closing. He remembered when she wouldn't even look at him, much less smile. He couldn't quite pinpoint when the small, meek girl he met his first time on the island turned into such a ball of energy. Deciding it was a waste of time to even think about it, Vaughn ignored her comment of being happy to see him (and the things it did to his stomach) and continued on his way into town.

* * *

A small bell chimed as Vaughn opened the door to the animal shop. He grunted a short hello Mirabelle as he made his way to the small barren bedroom in the back hall. He threw his bag onto the bed as he placed his black stetson onto the side table.

Sitting down heavily on the side of the bed, Vaughn sighed and ran his gloved hand through his silver hair. Deciding he should probably eat something before he got to comfortable, he headed into the kitchen to grab a bowl of porridge. As he was rummaging around in the fridge, Julia walked through the front door.

"Hey stranger" she said, smiling at him as she hopped onto the counter next to the fridge

Vaughn just grunted a hello, not very much in the mood for conversation. Julia frowned slightly, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her palm, her elbow resting against her leg.

"So i'm having a big slumber party here tonight for Chelsea's birthday, just to let you know. So be prepared for a bunch of giggling girls"

"Arn't you a bit old for slumber parties?"

Vaughn dodged Julia's hand as she attempted to push his shoulder, and almost smiled at her huffy expression. He loved teasing his cousin, as she was one of the few people in his life that he actually cared about.

"You're never to old for a slumber party!"

Vaughn just shot her a sideways glance, causing her to try and hit him again.

"Just don't be too moody when there here, try to at least say hello?" Julia pleaded

Vaughn just grunted as her again as he finished his porridge, ignoring her sigh.

"I'll just take that as a yes" she said, watching as Vaughn rinsed out his bowl and spoon "and you can always join us if you want you know. I know a certain brunette farmer that would enjoy it"

Julia raised her eyebrows as Vaughn's bowl clattered in the sink. Vaughn just gave Julia a look, picking his bowl back up and setting it on the counter to dry

"And what's that suppose to mean?"

"Hmmm I wonder"

With a smirk and a wink, Julia hopped off the counter and disappeared down the hallway. Wiping his hands on his tan vest, Vaughn decided it was best to just ignore that comment. It was to close to what Chelsea had actually said herself on the docks. Feeling the scowl he had been sporting all day returning, Vaughn headed back to his bedroom. Peeling off his vest, black shirt, and cowboy boots, he stretched out on the bed, already feeling the tug of sleep on his eyelids.

* * *

Vaughn awoke with a start at the sound of a bang against the wall, followed by a chorus of giggles. Right. The slumber party. Ignoring the ever growing laughter, Vaughn dragged himself out of bed, heading to the bathroom to shower off his sweat. He must of had one hell of a dream. Lately he could never remember his dreams, but always woke up slightly panicked and sweating. He had always had nightmares, but the thought that his brain had forced him to forget them for some reason was slightly disturbing to Vaughn. He had never been a fan of the unknown. But it was better than waking up from her face every morning.

Turning the shower knob as hot as it would go, Vaughn stood underneath the pulsing water, enjoying the feeling of the knots in his back loosening. He rolled his shoulders, enjoying the last bit of hot water before he twisted off the knob and wiped the water from his eyes.

Throwing on a pair of jeans and a simple black shirt, Vaughn wrapped a towel around his neck and headed out to the kitchen for a glass of milk. As he bent down to retrieve the carton out of the fridge, he heard a small squeak from behind him. Glancing up, Vaughn saw none other than Chelsea, standing a few feet away, red faced.

Why the hell was her face so red? It looked like she had a fever. Vaughn gripped the door in his hand tighter as the clenching in his gut returned. What the hell was wrong with him?

"I-I didn't know you w-were here tonight, Vaughn" She stuttered.

What did she mean she didn't know he was here tonight? She saw him on the docks this morning. Was she stupid?

"B-but I'm glad you are" she continued, causing his gut to clench tighter "I wish you were here more than two days a week. I mean, I really wanna get to know you and TRIED you know, but your not that helpful-"

"Hey" he said, frowning.

"-but its okay because I really wanna be your friend" she continued on as if he hadn't even spoken, smiling "Why are you always so angry Vaughn, you should try smiling more!"

"I-"

"But I guess smiling is not for everyone, I mean I used to not smile that much either. But we never get a chance to talk much Vaughn, we should-

"Would you SHUT UP? Why are you so goddamn energetic?" he snapped, shooting her a glare. He watched as her smile faded a bit, his frown lessening slightly. Well, maybe she shouldn't have told him to smile. Or just shut the hell _up _for a change. He still remembered how quiet and meek she used to be. Where did _that _farmer go?

"Didn't you used to be quiet? You never used talk to me or even _look_ at me, and me now I can't get you STOP. How the hell do you always have this much energy? "

Although her smile stayed in place, Chelsea's eyes turned slightly sad. Deciding he was probably to rude this time, even by hisstandards, Vaughn started to apologize, before she cut him off.

"Where do I get all this energy? Well, because of this island. This is the place I learned to fly"

With that Chelsea started back to the bedroom, leaving Vaughn in the kitchen looking after her.

Where she learned to..fly?


	4. Watching

She felt the tears well up in her eyes as she forced her small hand from reaching up and touching the fresh red mark on her cheek. She stared at the floor, knowing that if she looked up it would only happen again. Breathing short, shallow breaths, her hair was a mass of brunette tangles covering her face. Her body would no longer shake, that habit long ago beaten out of her. She even managed to keep from flinching as a harsh, cold voice spoke.

"Filthy child" the voice standing above her spat "you are nothing but useless."

The woman standing above the small child sneered as she wiped her hand on her skirt, as if contact alone could contaminate her. With a huff of annoyance, the woman swung around and exited the room, fixing her long brown curls as she went.

The small brunette on the floor didn't move a muscle, afraid at any moment the women would come busting back in, deciding the punishment hadn't been good enough. It had been happening more and more frequently lately. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, quickly shaking her head to get rid of it.

Braving a glance at the door, the small girl wished she would see him come bustling through to save her, to comfort her like he always did. She saw the flash of dark hair in her mind, accompanied by the only pair of eyes that had ever shown her any warmth. She wished he would come, her eyes burning as she stared at the door, as if her will enough could bring him to her. But all she saw was the swish of a skirt around the door frame and the sound of high heels clacking before she again felt the pain crack against her cheek, this time accompanied by swirling darkness.

* * *

Chelsea bolted straight up in bed, her chest heaving. Putting her forehead in her hands, she took a few deep breaths to get a hold of herself.

It had been awhile. Chelsea couldn't remember the last time she had a nightmare this vivid. They had plagued her the first few weeks she was on the island, causing her to wake up in fear that SHE was in the room. She had spent countless nights cowering in the corner of her bed, waiting for the illusion that she had escaped to be shattered and for it all to come rushing back. Waiting for her newly formed wings to be ripped from her, landing her from the sky back to the mud.

It was also strange that she had wished for.._him_..to come and save her. He HAD been her solace, her one source of comfort. He had been the only place for her to call home, but..Chelsea grimaced as the hurt tore through her chest, almost just as new as it had beenthe night it all came crashing down. That had been a long time ago though. He was no longer her 'savior'. He was just as dirty as that women.

Chelsea scowled, surprising herself. She almost never scowled, at least wherever anyone could see. Taking another deep breath, she pushed her dream from her mind, trying to shake off her feeling of foreboding. She didn't live there anymore. And she wasn't the same person she was back then. So _weak_.

As Chelsea slipped her feet over the side of the bed, about to head into the kitchen for some breakfast, a face popped into her mind.

She blushed as she flung him from her mind, wondering why the hell _Vaughn_ of all people would be randomly popping up in her head. It had been almost a week since..

"..this is where I learned to Fly"

YEESH. Chelsea cringed, remembering the embarrassing words she didn't mean to mutter to the cowboy. They had just kind of come out on there own. The thought continued to plague her throughout breakfast to when she went out to tend to her fields. Why _did_ she say that? To him of all people. Sure, she had defiantly wanted to get to know him better, but getting all sentimental about how this island changed her is hardly the same thing. She only really got that personal with Denny or Julia. So why had that come out so easily to Vaughn? Maybe that had been why she had that nightmare.

Shaking her head, Chelsea decided to let it drop. Thinking about it hurt her head anyways. As she spread the last of the feed for her three chickens, Chelsea let Zaki out of the barn to graze, still unable to shake her feeling of uneasiness.

This always happened after she had her nightmares. It had been one of the many reasons she was so quiet and reserved when she first got to the island. The nightmares only made everything worse. She was never able to act properly after them, not even able to force herself to smile. Cooping herself up on her farm and avoiding everyone was the only way she had been able to deal with it.

Chelsea grimaced. She didn't want to go back to avoiding people. She had been doing so _well_ lately. But she was going to let one small nightmare revert her back to her old ways? Just as Chelsea was about to give up and head back inside her farmhouse, she heard a crunch of gravel behind her. She flung around, suppressing a girlish squeak. Instead she gave a long frustrated huff as she saw who it was.

"_Damn it_, Denny" she hissed, pressing her palm between her eyebrows and squeezing her eyes shut "Don't come up behind me like that. You know it freaks me out"

"Heh heh, sorry Chel's" Denny smiled sympathetically, scratching his cheek with his index finger "I was just comin' over to see if you wanted to fish today. Its beautiful and the creek should be jumpin with-"

Denny stopped in the middle of his sentence as he got a good look at Chelsea's face. She looked just like she had all those months ago, when he had still been attempting to crack into her shell.

"Chelsea.."

He reached out and touched her shoulder, causing her to look at him. She looked so pale.

"What the matter, Chel's? You don't look to well."

Chelsea gave Denny a small smile, knowing his worry was genuine.

"It's nothing Denny, I just had a small nightmare. Nothing to worry about." She lied, knowing by the look Denny gave her that he could see right through it.

She didn't even know why she had bothered trying to lie to Denny, of all people. He had been the main person she went to after she had her nightmares. Being the first person she had met on the island, Chelsea always felt comfort around Denny. He had been the first person to genuinely care about her in a long time. But for some reason, Chelsea just couldn't seem to shake off the dark cloud that was hanging over her today.

Just as she was about to make her excuses and escape into her home, Denny grabbed her hand and started walking into town, his goofy grin back on his face.

"I know just what to do to cheer you up."

As his grin got wider, Chelsea couldn't help the small smile that tugged on her own lips.

* * *

Chelsea breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh mountain air. She had been sitting in the small grassy meadow above the mining mountain with Denny for almost an hour now. They had exchanged a few words, but had mostly sat in comfortable silence. Chelsea knew Denny was waiting for her to explain what was wrong.

Glancing next to her, Chelsea ran her fingers through the thick, full grass, pulling up a small strand of it to twiddle between her fingers.

"Remember the first time we came here?" she kept herself face forward, as did Denny.

"Of course" Denny smiled, leaning back on his hands "It was a few weeks after you got here, looking all mopey and sad all the time. Now you know how I feel about someone who mopes-just gotta help em' out"

Chelsea chuckled, knowing this to be true. After she got to the island, she had quickly fallen into her quiet ways. She found it hard to talk to the other villagers, uncomfortable with their smiles and questions. She had usually been able to avoid everyone fairly easily, everyone but two people.

Chelsea smiled slightly as she pulled up a few more pieces of grass, thinking of Denny and Julia. They had stuck to her like glue, much to her discomfort. But it had been the main reason she had been able to start breaking down the hard shell she had formed around herself all those years ago.

"Hey, Denny?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for this."

Denny chuckled, laying back on the grass "For what?"

"I dunno" Chelsea mumbles, laying down next to him "For just being there, I guess. I needed this today."

A soft smile curves Denny's lips as the two of them lay facing the sky, watching the clouds pass in comfortable silence. After a few moments, the silence was broken by Denny's soft voice.

"Hey, Chel's?"

"Hmm?" Chelsea murmured, closing her eyes as she basked in the sunlight.

"I have a umm..."

At the sound of Denny's nervous tone, Chelsea opened her eyes, glancing his way.

"What's up?"

"I just uh-" Denny paused, clearing his throat "Had a question for you..about Vaughn."

At the sound of Vaughn's name, Chelsea felt her cheeks flush slightly. That night in the kitchen flashed in her mind.

"What about him." she said slowly, suddenly wary.

"I just um-" Denny cleared his throat again, tugging at his collar a bit "Saw him watching you earlier, when you were in town? And was just wondering what that was all about."

_Watching_ her? Chelsea started slightly as her cheeks flush a bit more.

"Well, uh-"

Now it was Chelsea's turn to clear her throat. Of course he would be watching her after she said something so weird. He was probably wondering what farmer he had been selling his precious animals to, and if she was a headcase. And of course Denny would notice right away. Does anything get past this guy? Sweet Jesus.

"I ran into him, you know, at Julia's sleepover?" Chelsea pulled up a few more grass clumps.

"And got a bit nervous, rambling off and all, like I do. So, he probably thinks I'm a bit crazy now and wondering if he should sell me anymore animals." Glancing over a Denny, Chelsea felt compelled to add,

"You know, if I had to guess." She ripped us a few more grass strands, watching as they floated back to the ground, slipping between her fingers.

"Huh" Denny said, leaning back on his hands again "I only asked, because it seemed weird. For him, I mean. He usually stares into the distance and never looks at anybody, not even his own Aunt or Cousin."

"Well" Chelsea said quickly, ready to be off the subject "I'm sure its just because he's concerned about the animals, that's all."

Pushing herself up, Chelsea brushed the dirt off her jeans.

"So" she smiled, extending a hand to Denny "What did you say earlier about the fish jumpin' outta the river?'

Getting the hint, Denny grabber her extended hand, hoisting himself up.

"Right" he grinned "Lets get to it."


End file.
